Gulkand Elaichi Ice Cream / Rose-Petal preserve and Cardamom Ice Cream

Gulkand, a preseve of rose petals in sugar, is perfect for hot summer days...bringing various other rose-syrup based memories: Rooh afza drink/ Rooh afza milkshake, ice cubes, hot pink-hued rose syrup milk.

Gulkand-Elaichi Ice Cream / Rose-Petal preserve and Cardamom Ice Cream was a birthday treat for the Manoffewwords. :-)

It was then that this wonderful book fell into my hands. Sarah Woodward's The Ottoman Kitchen: Modern recipes from Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, Lebanon, Syria and beyond  [New York: Interlink Books, 2001] is a  jewel, just as the recipes. South Asian's will recognize the  flavours which found new homes and traditions as a legacy of wars and conquest, from the Awadh, the Mughal and the Nizami cuisine.

The book has a timeless feel through its photographs, recipes and narration. Woodward brings those recipes into a modern day kitchen with ease, simplicity and common sense. Except for a few specialized ingredients which should not be an issue for most of us who are used to sourcing myriad spices...:-)... the recipes  are accesible.

An Ottoman Breakfast,  highlights various drinks and sherbets  from the simple Honey Water to Pomegrenate.

Soups and snacks on the move take us to the  elite corps of janisseris who provided sustenance to the marching Ottoman troops. Classic dishes like cold yogurt salads and hot yogurt soup  will be familiar, with variations across the world.

Rich pilafs and rural breads, in one stroke balances the opulence of the Ottoman sultanate and the peasant food which is straightforward and matchless for the way it treats fresh produce and  ingredients.

A sweet tooth... and the method of making Rose-petal ice during the years of royalty would bring the memories of Mughal rulers, using runners on horses bringing ice from the foothills of the Himalayas for their favourite sherbets.

My next recipe from this book would be the Rose-petal ice. This version is made with milk and cream using the Cuisinart Ice-cream Maker. This goes to A.W.E.D Turkey hosted by Janet of The Taste Space, started by DK of Chef in You.

Ingredients

2 Cups Cream, chilled

1 Cup Milk, chilled [ have used both 2 % milk and fat free milk to make this ice-cream; 2 % used in this recipe.]

3/4 Cup granulated sugar

4-5 Cardamom pods, split and powder the seeds fine

4-5 tbps Gulkand or rose-petal preserve, plus more for garnish

Method

The recipe is adapted from the Vanilla Ice-cream recipe given in the Cuisinart instruction manual. [Prefer a slightly less creamier version in which I have used fat free milk].

Pre-chill the freezer bowl for at least 22 hours; even though they say 6- 22 hours one has tried all markers from 6 hours onwards and the one reaching past 15 hours hit the mark in producing ice-cream correctly.

Mix sugar with milk until completely dissolved

Combine the milk, cream  and cardamom and pour according to instructions.

After 25 minutes/ 5 minutes before the end of the churning session, add 2 tbps of the Gulkand

Add the 1/2 of the powdered cardamom

Remove from the mixing bowl and stir in the rest of the Gulkand.

Freeze in a covered bowl for 2 hours before serving or

Serve with a garnish with Gulkand and fresh rose petals.

This recipe also goes to Color your palate: A Visual Treat.

Note: Adding gulkand, which is not a smooth paste,  during the churning session will snag up the plastic attachment,  and stop the appliance. Add only after the ice-cream starts forming and is almost complete/ the correct texture add the paste.

Gulkand is available in Indian  and Mediterrenean grocery stores.